I'll Always Be Around
by Pyro the Phoenix
Summary: In different circumstances, Kida is positive that they would have been making out by now. But unfortunately the circumstances are as they are; as his student there's certain lines they just can't cross. And maybe it's a little mean but he just can't help but want to push the boundaries when he can. Teacher/Student AU. Snippets.


The room was dark when Kida entered the apartment, the only light coming from the window in the kitchen. Mikado was sitting on the floor, half-illuminated by the moonlight. He hovered by the door for a moment, unsure if he was welcome or not. When the man didn't say anything, Masaomi decided that he was, at least, allowed to be there. He quietly closed the door and toed-off his shoes.

Kida sat down next to him, his back resting against the hard wall. Mikado stared at everything but him. It was silent, for an uncomfortably long time. It's stretched on so long that Masaomi idly wondered for moment that maybe time had stopped. He kind of wish it would. He looked to left, taking in the sight of the man next to him. Mikado's face buried in his palm, arm propped up on his knee. His hand laying limply on the floor between them. At some point he had ditched his suit jacket, leaving on only his button-up shirt with the sleeves hastily rolled up to his elbows. He'd undone the top couple buttons and loosened his tie, letting it hang half-undone around his neck.

In different circumstances, Masaomi would have been delighted to be seeing such a ruffled looking Mikado. But it wasn't such a case.

Ahhh… fate was just too cruel sometimes.

He looked away.

"Hey, Mikado?"

He heard Mikado move, shifting.

Silence.

"… Listen, I know I caused you a lot of trouble. But I don't want you thinking…"

He tried to grasp the right words. Though his companion hasn't moved, he knew he was listening. He always does.

"… I don't want you to think that this is just crush on my teacher cause he's cute."

He doesn't hear or see it, but he could feel when Mikado stiffened at his words. He felt his nerves starting to rise up, and the words just started pouring out.

"It's not just hormones or _infatuation_ like everyone keeps telling me—" Mikado laughed for a moment, "I really _really…_ I never meant to get you in trouble and I never meant to make you think that I was just out to make you uncomfortable, or feel weird, ugh I know this is weird—"

He stopped to glance back at Mikado, who had at some point had turned to look at him, chin resting in his hand, and was cut short at the look on his face. The light was from the window was spread softly over his face, a small, amused smile on his lips. The light bounced off his forearm and slithered down the column of his throat, just barely spilling over his collarbone —

"… I uh…"

_God, in different circumstances._

Okay so hormones did probably did have a little to do with it.

Masaomi coughed a little to clear his throat. Though he could feel heat spreading through his face, he made sure to keep his eyes straight on Mikado's.

"You're important to me, Mikado. I know it sounds dumb, but you... you're really my best friend and at some point I…" _Don't look away, _"… I guess I started feeling something a little… more…?"

Mikado face had slipped into something more contemplative, but he still remained quiet. Kida shifted uncomfortably, but didn't move his gaze. When Mikado didn't say anything, Kida felt the pressure to keep talking build again,

"And I guess, I just, uh… I think… well. Y-you… If you feel the same? Do you I mean? I know I'm being selfish and it could really affect your job, it's not _appropriate,_ but I don't mind waiting or anything I just, I feel like it's not just me and I'm really serious when I say," Mikado's soft smile returned and Masaomi's breath got caught in his throat. Stunned.

The air slipped out past his lips become he could stop it.

"… I love you."

Mikado smile didn't falter. His eyes slip closed.

"Is that so…"

Mikado shifted, letting his propped leg lower to the ground. He rested his back fully against the wall, legs stretching out in front of him. In that moment Mikado suddenly looked much older, and Kida felt like the troublesome kid he is. It's so frustrating, 8 years sounds like so much (maybe it is) but Kida is almost the same height as Mikado now, and he's still got a little more to go, and soon he'll be eighteen and then in two years he'd be twenty and then it'd be like there's no difference at all.

But there is.

Masaomi tried not to think too hard on the fact that his confession has gone unanswered; it's not like its news though. Even if he hadn't said anything, they both had known. They had been dancing around it for months.

Mikado's head tilted a little to the right as Masaomi re-adjusted to rest more comfortably against the wall, resting his hands on either side of him.

"… I don't know if I've ever seen look so flustered and so serious at the same time, Masaomi."

Kida jumped at his voice. Mikado laughed a little and Masaomi felt his body start to relax at the sound. He's grinning before he even realized it.

"Ahhhh it's true; how unlike me! I guess you just have that effect on me, Mikado," he said, winking, "I'm usually so smooth!"

Mikado scoffed. There was brush of warm skin next his hand, and then a slight pressure as Mikado pressed his hand to the side of Masaomi's.

Masaomi's whole body went rigid for a moment; hundreds of moments of craving the smallest touch, Mikado always carefully keeping his distance, all of it flying through his mind and now—

It's took a tremendous amount of self-control to not just grab Mikado's hand like a dog starved for affection because _there's a line _and they've been toeing it all this time. And he knows Mikado doesn't want to cross it (_yet_ he hoped). So he sucked in a deep breath, looking up to see Mikado staring him and he _knew._

"… you know, Mikado, if the situation were a little different, I would absolutely _ravish you right now._"

He watched Mikado's face flush; ahhhh how he had missed this. He could only resist for so long.

Mikado grumbled but didn't move his hand.

They sat there for a long while; talking about anything they felt like.

And hours later when Masaomi finally made his way home, his hand tingling warmly, he finally felt pretty hopeful for could come.


End file.
